


A Fish May Love A Bird

by Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89



Series: A Fish May Love A Bird [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Major Character Injury, Mistaken Identity, Protective Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 08:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16322468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89/pseuds/Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89
Summary: Gabriel wants to throw a Halloween masquerade. Reader is starting to realize feelings that weren’t there before. (i still suck at summaries)





	A Fish May Love A Bird

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by this month’s Trope prompt on @gabriel-monthly-challenge on tumblr.  
> Prompt: Mistaken or hidden identity because someone is in a costume or mask.  
> It started out as a small idea, and snowballed from there. took inspiration from the movie Ever After (switched up the quote a bit to fit the characters better).

****One** ** ****Week Till** ** ****Halloween** **

 

You were in the kitchen when you heard the bunker door thud shut. Cas and Dean were sitting at one of the tables in the library looking for a new case. You went about fixing dinner for your various new housemates until you heard Sam call for you from the library. You set the timer on the oven and walked out to see what he wanted.

“Yeah, Sam?” You walked into the library and saw the three men standing around a huge package set on one of the tables.

“Did you order something, y/n? This was waiting for us at the post office, but there’s no name on it. It’s just addressed to our P.O. Box; there’s no return address either.” Sam looked over to you as Cas reached out to the box slowly, face scrunched up as though trying to sense if there was anything unnatural inside it.

“No, I haven’t ordered anything since before our last case. Maybe one of the new guys did?” You walked over to the table and inspected the box. The box itself was unremarkable, but the shipping label, oddly enough, was handwritten in a long flowing script, almost as though it had been made with a quill. It was strange, to say the least.

Dean looked up from the box and shook his head. “No. We haven’t told any of them the address to it yet. Sam, go grab an E.M.F. meter, would ya? See if there’s anything haunted or cursed in there before we just go tearing it open.”

Sam went to grab the one he kept in his room and hurried back. He turned it on and moved it over the box, but nothing triggered it. Setting the meter down on the table, Sam pulled the box closer, reaching to undo the tape on the side of the wrapping.

“Ah, ah, ah, Sammy. Isn’t it a federal crime to open other peoples’ mail?”

The four of you whipped around, weapons drawn automatically to face the unexpected voice.

“Brother”, Castiel sighed, slowly lowering his angel blade.

“Goddammit, Gabriel! We could have shot you, you know?” Dean holstered his gun, exasperated as always with the Archangel’s habit of turning his appearances into a jump-scare. “And what do you care if we open the box, anyways?”

“I care because it’s mine. I had wanted to make it a surprise for everyone, but Samsquatch beat me to it.” Gabriel sauntered from the entryway, stopping by your side, and taking the box from Sam.

You raise an eyebrow in curiosity and ask, “So, what’s the surprise then?”

“Well, sweet cheeks, I could tell ya, but I’d rather show ya.” He scoops the box into his arms and turns to walk back the way he came. The four of you stare at him in confusion as he stops in the doorway, calling over his shoulder, “Make sure everyone gathers here after dinner, okay?”

A frown tugs at the corners of your lips as he continues back to his room. _What the hell?_ Now, you were even more curious about his big secret. You turn back to the guys and shake your head. You decide there’s nothing for it but to wait and see, so you head back to the kitchen to finish up the cooking. The sooner everyone eats, the sooner you get to find out what’s in the box.

As you wait for the casserole to finish so you can start baking the variety of pies you prepared for dessert, you let your mind wander back to Gabriel. You had been hunting with the boys for a few years now and had heard quite a few stories about the tricky Archangel. When you had met him a few months ago, after Ketch had rescued him, and after he completed his ‘Kill Bill’ mission, the two of you had quickly developed a friendship. You found his silly puns and flirty looks a refreshing change from all the overprotective-brother vibes you’d received from the Winchesters and Cas.

Of course, you always gave as good as you got. He’d give you one of his smoldering smirks and you would toss back a playful wink and a bubbly giggle. You knew it was all in good fun, and what could you say; you enjoyed the attention. The band of survivors you guys had brought back from apocalypse world were nice and all, but none of the guys seemed to care much for actual flirting. You couldn’t really blame them though, they were nearly a decade out of practice. Those guys, they preferred to jump straight to the finish line. You, on the other hand, preferred the thrill of the chase; even if you didn’t get caught in the end. That’s what made Gabriel such good company. At least, until recently. Lately, something in the dynamic had shifted. When he winked at you, sometimes you would feel a shiver start its way up your spine. Or you would feel your heart start to race when he made one of his flirty comments. Somewhere along the line, you had started to fall for that golden-eyed trickster.

The buzzing of the oven timer brought you out of your thoughts and you shook your head to clear it. You heaved a sigh as you took out the casserole, and nearly dropped it as you realized that in your distracted state, you had only put on one oven mitt. You let out a loud hiss at the pain, quickly setting the dish down on the counter. Running over to the sink, you turned the water as cold as it would get and shoved your hand under the faucet to stop the heat from causing further damage.

You let out a curse as you kept your hand there for a minute. After you pulled your hand from under the water, you gave it a close look. It had turned an ugly red color in a big patch on your palm. You tentatively tried closing your hand and immediately let out a yelp. You called out for angelic help. You had meant to send out a mental call to Cas but at the last second, your brain switched gears and reached out for Gabriel. _Help._

He appeared before you with a soft flutter of hidden wings, on full alert at your less-than-specific plea. His shoulders relaxed when he saw there was no one else in the room. He steeped over to you, eyebrows knit in confusion. “Jeez, cupcake! A cry like that, I was ready for some serious trouble. What happened?”

His eyes softened when he saw the way that your jaw was clenched and how you cradled your burning hand close to your chest.

“Just me being a klutz again. Burned my hand taking dinner out of the oven”, you gritted through your teeth.

He slowly pulled your hand towards him and placed a finger on the center of your palm as gently as he could. Soft, while light glowed from it and you could feel the pain receding as your skin returned to its healthy, normal shade. You looked up at him and could see a spark of blue fading from his eyes as his Grace settled back within him. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, sugarplum. Besides, can’t have you going off fighting monsters with a burnt hand, can we”, he winked at you, still holding your hand in his. “Now, I’ll just let you get back to it. I’m sure everyone’s good and hungry by now.”

With that, he let your hand drop from his and leaned in to place a gentle kiss to your forehead, as he often did any time you had gotten injured. Your eyes had closed at the touch and you didn’t open them till after you heard his tell-tale flutter of wings. You sighed and leaned your head back against a cabinet. _What have you gotten yourself into now,_ you thought as you got back to putting the pies in the oven. _You have got to get a grip._

\--------------------------------------------------

 

You managed to finish cooking everything without further incident and were just bringing out dessert when Gabriel and Castiel showed up to join everyone at the two long tables that now occupied the newly proclaimed dinning area. Being angels, they didn’t need to eat of course, but both of them usually came out for dessert or even just for the company. Angels weren’t meant to be solitary beings, after all. The pair of them took their seats as Dean went about passing out slices of pie to everyone.

Gabriel catches your eye from across the table and shoots you a quick wink, grabbing a slice of the double-chocolate mousse pie you knew he tended to favorite. You smiled back softly, feeling a sigh catch in your throat. You vaguely hear Charlie saying something to you on your left and manage to pull your attention away from the sugar fiend to focus on her. “Sorry, what?”

Charlie giggles quietly and quirks an eyebrow at you. “I was just saying how great this pumpkin pie is. There’s no way this came out of a can. Your baking game is definitely on tonight, I’m kinda jelly.”

“Thanks, Char. I’m glad you like it, it’s a family recipe, much better than store bought. If you want, I can teach you how to make it. I could use some help with the desserts, Sam and Dean are awful at it.” You continue a light conversation with Charlie as everyone enjoys their pie. Your attention now fully redirected, you fail to notice how often Gabriel flicks his gaze over to you.

Soon enough, plates are empty, silverware set down and conversations are winding down as the feeling of full and satisfied bellies start to lull everyone in to a relaxed state. Before anyone can leave the room, Sam stands up and asks you all to meet in the library in five minutes, and your interest is once again sparked as you remember about Gabriel’s secret delivery. Cas is on clean up duty tonight, which takes all of two seconds as he snaps the dishes from the table, cleaned and put back in their respective cabinets and drawers. You follow the others to the library where you and Dean immediately head over to get a drink from the Men of Letters stash of aged whiskey. You pour out two glasses and head over to where Charlie is standing and hand her one. Three minutes later, Gabriel enters, carrying the large box from earlier, still unopened.

“So, Gabriel, end the suspense already. What’s the big surprise”, Dean asks, throwing him an annoyed look.

“Well, I thought that since Halloween is right around the corner, and you guys haven’t had the chance to celebrate a holiday in, like, forever, why not throw a party? And not just any party; a masquerade!” With that, he snaps open the box and pulls out its contents to reveal a bunch of masks, no two alike.

“A party?” Sam starts objecting, “Look, I really don’t think…”

“No! He’s right.” You look up from the pile of masks on the table and face Sam. “We should celebrate. We deserve to. Lucifer is dead, Michael is stuck in that other world forever, things haven’t been this close to normal in a very long time. What more reason do we need?” You stare at Sam, hope in your eyes. You truly do believe a night of fun will do everyone a world of good.

Sam glances over at Dean, a silent conversation being played out between them as the rest of you just sit there. After a minute, Dean simply shrugs and walks back over to the whiskey, bringing the bottle back to the table to pass around. “Okay. Masquerade it is, then. Well, Gabriel, tells us all the rest of your idea.”

“Oh, thank Father! I thought I was gonna have to do a bit more convincing to get the Buzzkill Brigade on board.” Gabriel smirked up at Sam, who just groaned and rolled his eyes. “Anywho, back to business. This isn’t gonna be just your average costume party. I’m talking full-scale Ball, capital ‘B’! And, to keep things interesting, with everyone’s consent of course, I’d like to have Rowena cast a spell that will distort everyone’s vision, just enough to not be able to discern any identifying factors. You know, height, eye color, all that jazz.” Gabriel looked over at Rowena questioningly. She simply nodded in response.

“Is that really necessary, brother?” Castiel quirked his head, confused.

“Of course, it’s not necessary, little bro. It just makes it more fun! Jeez, have learned nothing in the past ten years?” Gabriel looked back at his brother in disbelief before turning back to the rest of the hunters who were actually starting to look quite interested in the idea. “As I was saying, no one is going to be able to identify each other until they choose to reveal themselves. This spell will also be placed on Cas and myself just to keep things fair. Now, so that no one will know who picked which mask, I’ve made it so that each of you can simply think of the mask you want, and it will get sent to your room. If someone has already chosen the mask, you’ll hear a little buzzer go off in your mind letting you know to pick another one, if not, you’ll hear a ding. So, if all of you would come over and look through the pile and make your decisions.

Gabriel stepped back to let everyone gather around the table and you got up to join them. You were surprised that even Ketch and Bobby seemed begrudgingly intrigued by the whole thing; they too were sifting through the masks, Ketch making a face every now and then at absurdity of some of them. You started looking through the pile, stopping here and there to admire a few of the more unique ones; a black old-fashioned Venetian mask with a silver pattern on it, a brass deer mask with antlers and even ears sticking out from it, a golden-colored wolf one and even a feathered mask with horns on either side that looked quite devilish.

Finally, you landed on particular mask and somehow knew immediately it was the one you wanted. It had two white Koi fish wrapped around the eyes with ornate sky-blue fins making up the rest of the face. The detail put into it was beautiful. You gently set it back down and kept the image of it firmly in your mind. Two seconds later, you heard a soft ding inside your head. You spent another minute looking around at the masks just to throw off the scent if anyone happened to be paying any attention. Although you weren’t sure why, you felt yourself getting swept up in the moment and wanted to be sure you did this right. If Gabriel wanted everyone to be strangers for the party, then a stranger you would be.

A few minutes later, everyone seemed to have made their decisions as, all at once, the masks evaporated into thin air. Resisting the urge to run straight to your room to check for your mask, you walked over to join Gabriel, Castiel, and the Winchesters as the rest of the group dispersed for the night, most of them still abuzz with plans to go shopping for costumes to wear. It made your heart light to see them so happy for once. The survivors had gone through so much over the past nine years, they deserved to have some fun, without having to worry about what might be lurking out in the night. It had taken a couple months for them to get adjusted to this world, but most of them seemed to be doing quite well. Freedom can a lot for a person.

You sat down between Sam and Gabriel and reached over to grab the bottle from Dean that was, surprisingly, still half full. “So, what on Earth made you decide we needed a party, Gabriel?”

“Well, you know me, I love a good party. This seemed like the perfect reason. Besides, what you said to Sam was exactly the case I was gonna make. You guys have been hunting non-stop for years, the people we brought back have been fighting for their lives for the longest time, and...well, I thought it was high time Jack got to let loose and have some fun.”

It didn't escape your notice, the way he skirted past his own horrible experiences over the past nine years. You gave him a warm smile as you felt your heart squeeze in your chest at the thought of what he had been through. He had opened up to you a bit more than he had with the boys about what Asmodeus had done to him. He was far from fully recovered; you doubted he ever would be, but his Grace was back completely now and his mind seemed to wander less.

“I gotta admit, I'm already excited about it. I'm sure it'll be a great way for Jack to spend his first Halloween. Just don't forget, he's got a soft spot for nougat.” With that, you got up, hugged everyone good night and headed back to your room.

Sure enough, your Koi mask was there, waiting for you on your pillow. You picked it up to look it over again, before placing it carefully in the warded lock-box you kept under bed. Mask hidden from any potential spoil-sports, you changed into your night clothes and quickly drifted off for the night.

 

****Five Days Till Halloween** **

 

You came down the bunkers’ stairs with Charlie and Rowena, arms full of shopping bags. The three of you had decided to go the mall two towns over to pick out what you would each be wearing to the party. So far, you had all managed to keep each other from seeing what you had bought. You hoped to keep it that way. You had found the perfect dress to go with your mask and you wanted to see everyone's reactions all at once on Halloween. It was an ankle-length, light blue mermaid-style gown, complete with sequins that looked like fish scales. The dress hugged your curves in all the right ways, though you doubted that would matter much, once Rowena's spell went into effect. To go with it, you had also bought a pair of white strappy heels. The three of you went off to your rooms to put your things away and agreed to meet in the war room in ten minutes. Rowena needed some help preparing a few ingredients for the distortion spell she would be using on everyone at the party.

You entered the war room to find Rowena setting out some jars and bunches of dried herbs. You stepped over to the map table and looked around at the items spread out before you. “Exactly how complicated is this spell, Ro? There’s, like, fifty different things here.”

“Oh, the spell itself is quite simple. It’s the preparation that’s the bitch. Could’ve done with a bit more warning from the sweet-toothed angel. Thanks for the help, by the way.” Rowena gave you a small smile. For years, even in the midst of being enemies, the two of you had been rather amicable with each other. Now that she was firmly on team Winchester, she had softened towards you even more, in some moments, almost motherly. You didn’t question it, you knew she still wasn’t over the loss of Crowley, and if you could relieve a bit of that pain, you were glad to do it.

As you smiled back, Charlie entered and joined you at the table. “So, ladies, where do we start?”

Rowena looked between the two of you and pursed her lips. “It’s a bit boring, I’m afraid. Mostly just need to get these herbs ground up and ready to be steeped. I’ve worked out the math on how much we’ll need for the spell to work on 30 people for a full evening.” She pulled out a piece of paper from her spell-book and set it in front of you. “Each herb needs to be kept separate until the spell is about to be done. Let’s get to work, girls!”

Three hours later, you put the last of the ground chamomile into its jar, groaning as you twisted the lid tight, your hand aching from all the chopping. Right on cue, you heard a flutter of wings behind you. Gabriel came up beside you, resting his hand on your shoulder. You whipped your head up at him and were met with a beaming smile. “Heya, cupcake. You okay?”

“Yeah. Just my hand cramping up”, you replied with a wince as a flare of pain ran from your wrist to the tips of your fingers.

His hand ran down from your shoulder, along your arm, causing minute goosebumps, and he wrapped your hand in his, letting his Grace heal you. You let out a sigh of relief as the warmth traveled through you. His touch lingered a minute and you could feel the little aches pains gained from a day of shopping leave your body. You flashed him a shy smile. “Thanks, Gabe. What would I do without you?”

“Ah, sugar, without me, you’d be living the same life, just more boring and with more sore muscles.” He let go of your and shot you a wink before turning to check on Charlie.

You looked across the table to see Rowena staring back, an eyebrow raised and a small smirk on her lips. What, you mouthed at her. She simply shook her head and gave you a knowing look. You looked away first, a flush rising to your cheeks. After Gabriel helped Charlie with her aches, and Rowena denied needing healing, he stuck around to help you gather everything up to take back down to the room where Rowena kept all the things she needed for spells.

Just as the four of you came back up the stairs, Dean was setting out everything for dinner; it was build-your-own-burger night. Gabriel gave your shoulder a squeeze and left to go find Castiel. You headed over to the dinner table eagerly, you loved Dean’s burgers and had worked up quite an appetite. The only downside to when Dean did the cooking was that dessert would be store-bought. Luckily, there was an Archangel on hand who was more than happy to snap up something better, if need be. You ate your fill and went to bed soon after, the events of the day having as much of an effect on you as a grueling hunt.

 

****Two Days Till Halloween** **

 

You paced back and forth in the library, coffee mug in hand, watching Sam clack away on his laptop. After being cooped up in the bunker the last two days with nothing to do except ponder over Wednesday’s party, you felt restless. Most of the other hunters were still out on cases they had left to investigate days ago. Dean, Cas, and Ketch were in Ohio chasing some rugaru. Mary and and Maggie were tracking down a wraith a few states over. The rest were spread out all over. Only a handful of you had stayed back.

“Anything. Just find something for me to fight. I don’t care what it is. Ghost, werewolf, hell, I don’t care if Gabriel has to zap us down to the border for a damn Chupacabra hunt!” You had stopped your pacing to stand beside Sam, hovering there as he looked through news sites for anything that might even hint at a case.

A minute or so later, he looked up from the screen. “Think I got something. It’s down in Iola, ‘bout an hour and a half away. A couple of bodies were found, drained.”

“Guess we didn’t totally wipe out the Fang Gang after all. Well, let’s take down a few more, shall we?” You left to go gear up, a gleeful spark flashing in your eyes at the prospect of a hunt. You decided to call Charlie, who had made a quick run into town with Jack to see if they wanted to join. Jack was well on his way to becoming a proficient hunter and something like this should be great practice for the kid. Charlie agreed and showed up at the bunker ten minutes later, just as you had finished gathering everything together.

The four of you piled into one of the cars in the garage; you decided to sit in the back with Jack to go over some last minute tips and to test how much he remembered about how to deal with vamps. About thirty minutes into the drive, he pulled out a few of the candy bars he had stocked up on earlier, passing them around. You thanked him and let out a chuckle as he tore into a 3 Musketeer’s bar, noting he still hadn’t given up his love of nougat. The kid had really grown on you in the past year and half, he was like the little brother you never got to have.

****

****Eight Hours Later** **

 

_Gabriel, h-help. Please, we need you…_ You hoped he would hear your broken plea as you struggled to hold on to consciousness.

The fight had gone horribly wrong. There had been more blood-suckers than you had been prepared for. You and Charlie had gotten separated from Sam and Jack; the three vamps you girls had been flirting with at the bar in town, in an attempt to get them alone, had quickly overpowered you once a few more of their clan had shown up, effectively distracting Sam as he tried to make his way over to the pool tables where you and Charlie were. You remember Jack trying to use his Nephilim powers against the vamps as you were being dragged out into the alley behind the bar. The last thing you heard before being knocked out was Sam yelling.

When you woke, you found yourself in what looked like an abandoned factory. Your head was pounding; you tried to reach up to check for blood, only to find your action stopped by the manacles around your wrists. They had chained you to the wall, Charlie similarly bound a few feet to your left. “Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me? Are you okay? Char, Charlie please answer me.”

The only response you got was a soft groan, but at least you knew she was still alive. There was still hope. Your head throbbed again and your vision blurred. You struggled to think of what to do next. You bit back a moan as you registered a pain in your shoulder. You turned your head to look, and could see now that your sleeve was completely soaked through with blood; you couldn’t remember how that had happened. Unable to think of anything else to get you out of this mess, not knowing how long you had till the vampires returned, you prayed to the one person you could think of in that moment. The one person you wanted to see most right now. _Gabriel…please…hurry. I don’t know how long I can hold on…help us…Sam, Jack, I-I don’t know where they are._ Your thoughts rambled on as you tried to stay awake. A few seconds later you heard the flutter of wings followed by a panicked voice.

“Y/n, y/n, oh Father, what happened?!” Gabriel crouched by your side, immediately snapping you free from your chains. “Sweetheart, stay with me now. I’m gonna get you outta here in a second, just hold on.”

You raised your head weakly to look at him as he went to check on Charlie. “You came. Oh, thank God, you came. Is she…?”

Gabriel pressed his fingers to Charlies’ forehead and her eyes fluttered open, widening as she took in her surroundings. “She’s fine, y/n. Charlie, can you stand? It looks like y/n’s lost a lot of blood, I’m gonna have to carry her.”

“Yeah, I think so”, Charlie groaned out as she attempted to do so. She was a bit wobbly at first but was able to lean against the wall as Gabriel rushed back over to you.

He knelt over you, brushing back sweat-matted hair from your face. You winced as he gingerly scooped you into his arms, careful not to touch your injured shoulder. “I gotcha sugar. I gotcha. Just hold on a little longer.” Once he had you, he grabbed Charlies’ hand and flew you both back to the bunker.

You had landed in the Dean Cave and Gabriel immediately laid you down on the couch, crouching at your side. Charlie hovered at the end of the couch, behind your head, not wanting to leave you till you were healed. “You can help her, right?”

“Of course, I can. I just needed to get you out of there first, this is gonna take more time to heal than your injuries. I got Sam and Jack back too, by the way; you might want to go let them know you’re safe.” He cupped your face and gently turned it away so he could get a better look at the wound.

The vamps had nearly drained you, it was a miracle you had held on as long as you did. One hand still caressing your cheek, he splayed the other one over your shoulder and you let out a soft gasp as the warm of his Grace spread through you. You closed your eyes as you felt your body healing, a flush rising to your face as you regained the blood levels to do so. Sure, Gabriel had had to heal you before, but it had never felt this intimate. He usually didn’t have to place his hand directly on the wounds, a touch on the head was always sufficient. This was different. His hand lingered on your shoulder a second longer than needed. You were afraid to look at him, afraid of what you might say. Instead, you focused on keeping your pulse steady.

“Sugar, look at me.” Gabriel nudged your face in his direction and you opened your eyes. You couldn’t quite read the look on his face. “Don’t ever do that again, you hear me? That was too close a call. Next time, you call for me as soon as shit starts to hit the fan, okay?”

You nodded meekly, attempting to sit up. “Sorry. Everything happened so fast. Is everyone else okay? Brain’s still a bit foggy, you got the others back, right? Is the nest dead?”

“Shh, slow down. Everyone’s fine, I got them back, safe and sound. I’ll take care of the nest in a minute. I needed to heal you first.” Gabriel’s hands dropped down from your face as you swung your legs off the couch and pulled yourself upright. He took your hands in his and held your gaze. “I meant what I said. Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again. We can’t afford to lose you.” With that, he stood up and placed a small kiss to your forehead before walking towards the door. “I’ll let the others know you’re okay before I go take out the rest of those bastards. Get some rest. You’ve got a party to go to in about 48 hours, kiddo.”

After he left the room, you leaned back, shutting your eyes again as you tried to process everything that had just happened. You tried to make sense of Gabriel’s sudden seriousness and the look in his eyes as he had admonished you. You had never seen him so worried before. You groaned, rubbing your eyes as you fought back the wave of exhaustion washing over you. Gabriel was right, you needed rest.

You made your way through the bunker, finding the others in the war room. You hugged them all, glad they were safe, and made your way to your room. You changed into a pair of sweats and an oversized shirt and plopped onto the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as your head hit the pillow.

 

****Halloween****  

 

You spent the past forty hours or so recovering from that disaster of a hunt. Gabriel had healed you up, but the effects of losing that much blood still took a small toll on you. You had slept through most of yesterday, waking for small periods of time to eat and shower. You lounged around in the Dean Cave for a few hours earlier today and then had decided to head back to your room to start getting ready for the party.

After taking a steaming hot shower you dried your hair and styled it before slipping into your dress. You applied a modicum of make-up, not bothering to do the full routine since the distortion spell would probably make it pointless. You still had thirty minutes till the party started so you sat on your bed and let your mind drift off.

Your mind called up the images from the other day, when Gabriel had rescued you. The look of horror on his face when he found you chained to the wall, half-dead. You had never seen him look so scared. He had been so gentle with you, as if one wrong move might finish you off. Then when he was healing you, the look in his eyes as his Grace patched you up inside. Something was different about the way he looked at you then. It was as if he had suddenly stumbled upon some revelation that had been hidden in plain sight.

You pulled your mind from that image not wanting to dissect it further. Instead, you thought back to the feeling of being held in his arms for that briefest of moments as he brought you back to the bunker. You had never felt so safe in your life. Even as you struggled to stay awake, you trusted those arms not to drop you, not to let anything else hurt you. You thought of the feeling of his hand on your shoulder, the other one cradling your cheek. So warm against your freezing skin.

There was no hiding from the truth now. The way you felt in those moments, surrounded by him, you knew you were in love and there was no going back. Sighing, you shook your head to clear it, checking the time. Five minutes. You got up, took a final look in the mirror, and pulled on your mask, taking care not to muss your hair. As you went to grab the doorknob, you felt an odd sensation wash over you. You placed your hand flat against the door to steady yourself as your head swam. Rowena had warned you all that the spell would make you dizzy for a moment, but she hadn’t told you when she was going to be casting it.

You went back to the mirror to check it had worked. You could see yourself clear enough, but you couldn’t make out the color of your eyes. It seemed to be continuously fluctuating from shades of a deep brown up to a light blue. The same thing was happening with your hair, and your lips kept changing in shape and lipstick shade. The only things about your appearance that remained the same was your costume. Well, you could see why Gabriel wanted to use this spell. It would be nearly impossible to tell anyone apart this way.

Once you’d adjusted as best you could, you finally walked out of your room and headed to the library, where Gabriel had said the main part of the party would be held. As you got to the entryway, you froze and gasped at the beauty before you. The room had been completely transformed. Gabriel had tapped into his Trickster magic to make the library at least three times bigger, with a great arching ceiling and giant columns stretching up from a marble floor. There were sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and candle sconces along the walls. You felt as though you were stepping into a forgotten century.

Against the walls were tables overflowing with candy, desserts and drinks. Gabriel had chosen a simple color pattern of black and white, which just lent more to the austere glamour of it all. You walked into the room slowly, soaking it all in. You were the first to arrive. You had all been told that you were only to head to the party once the spell had set in, and that each of you would feel it at different times. It seemed Gabriel was leaving little to chance. You smiled to yourself at how much effort he had put into tonight.

Within about half an hour, almost everybody had arrived. You looked around at all the beautiful costumes the other hunters had managed to come up with. Most of the men had decided on suits or tuxes that matched well with there masks, and the women wore dresses of varying lengths and styles. One woman, you couldn’t quite tell if it was Mary or Rowena, wore a floor-length black gown with sequins along the bodice to go with the silver and black mask she donned, which had long black feathers coming up from the top of it.

Once everyone had arrived, music started out of nowhere. Not just any regular music like you would hear at a party not being thrown by an over-dramatic Archangel, classical music. You chuckled as you heard Mozart’s Don Giovanni start up. Leave to him to choose music no one would know how to dance to. As soon as the thought entered your mind, a few of the hunters headed to the center of the room, paired up and started dancing a perfect minuet. You gaped at them as they danced lightly across the floor, absolutely confident in every step. No doubt this was also Gabriel’s doing. If only you could figure out which one was him. His tell-tale honey- colored hair was nowhere in sight among the ever-changing shades of brown, black, blonde and red. As it had been in your mirror, the only things that didn’t change were the masks and costumes. Maybe you could figure out which costume would suit him most.

You were already fairly certain that the man in the bronze colored deer mask was Sam and that the mask that was covered in brown and black feathers, with devilish looking horns on either side was being worn by Dean. The suits they were wearing looked quite similar to the ones they wore when pulling the FBI schtick. The man in the sharp black tux with the silver-trimmed, iron-hued mask definitely had to be Ketch, only he could pull that look off.

Finally, your eyes stopped on a man over on the other side of the room, sitting with some of the women, head thrown back in laughter. You recognized the mask from when you were looking through them, deciding on your own. It was a sturdy-looking golden wolf mask, absolutely exquisite in detail. That had to be him. The suit he was wearing was plain, but of great quality and looked perfectly tailored. You felt a shiver run through you as you watched him. He must have said something funny, the girls sitting around him giggled and one of them reached out to grasp his hand. He leaned in closer to her to whisper something, careful of the mask’s nose.

Your stomach sunk at the sight of him being so close to the woman. You turned away quickly and went over to one of the snack tables. You grabbed a flute of champagne and downed it in a gulp before grabbing another and filling a small plate with chocolate-covered strawberries and a few mini milky ways. You walked over to one of the tables by the entrance and sat down heavily. So much for a fun night. To think you had fooled yourself into thinking he might possibly feel the same way you did. Maybe you had just put too much stock into the look on his face the other night. It was nothing more than someone being worried for their friend.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize right away that someone had joined you at the table. Not till you heard him speak.

“I’m sorry. What?” You looked over to see a man in an all black suit, wearing a black Venetian mask covered in a silver pattern. The nose of the mask was almost like a beak. You chanced a look at his eyes and saw how they swirled from a rich brown to sea blue and back again.

“I said, are you okay? It’s hard to tell exactly, with this spell on us, but you look a bit down.”

You thought you recognized something in his speech pattern and the way his eyes kept going back to blue every few seconds was leading you to think that it was Castiel you were sitting with. As he talked, you took in his posture, slightly stiff, and his head was tilted in that bird-like gesture he often used when he was unsure of something.

You sighed and decided not to beat around the bush about how you were feeling. He didn’t know who you were, after all. “Just…I don’t know, jealous I guess.”

“Jealous? Of who?” Sensing the seriousness of the matter, he stood and offered his hand to you.

You thought for a second and took it. He led you over to a quieter spot where no one could overhear you. As you crossed the room, your eyes wandered back to the wolf mask. He had led the girl he was talking to out onto the dance floor. They looked so graceful, gliding across the floor in a perfect waltz. You blinked away the tears trying to fight their way out and tore your eyes from them. Cas called your attention back to him when you’d reached a spot slightly hidden from the rest of the room.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Please.”

You let out a sigh, trying to find the words. “It’s Gabriel. Lately, I don’t know, I thought something had changed between us. The way he’s been looking at me. There’s this new gentleness to the way he touches me, I thought…I don’t know what I thought.” You trailed off and looked up at Cas. He looked confused still, the look on his face asking you to go on. “I guess I was just reading too much into it. I was starting to hope he felt the same as I do. I, I love him. But look at him,” you gestured over to the dance floor, “there he is, dancing with someone else. Flirting to his Grace’s content. I was a fool to think he could ever look at me as more than a friend.” You looked back at Cas, “After all, a fish may love a bird , but where will they live?”

“Then I shall have to make you wings.” He reached out a hand to cup your face, his other hand slowly lifting the mask from his face.

“Gabriel!?” you gasped. “I, I thought you were Castiel! Oh, God, I’m gonna be sick.” You tried to turn away but he quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you closer to him.

“Please, take off your mask. Let me see you.”

You let out a shaky breath, looking into his eyes. They were once again golden, now that he had revealed himself to you. Your heart raced as you raised your free hand to take off your mask. “There. Now you know.”

“I hoped it was you.” That was all he said before he slid his hand up from yours, to the back of your neck, leaning in until he was just an inch from your lips. “I love you, too sugar. I have for some time now. I almost lost you the other night. I’ll never let that happen again.”

He closed that last inch of space and pressed his lips to yours. After a few seconds, you broke through the shock, and kissed him back. Your hands wound around his neck, your fingers winding in his hair as you deepened the kiss, parting your lips in invitation. His tongue slid over yours slowly, the taste of chocolate overpowering the champagne that lingered on yours. After a minute, he pulled back.

“Now, I believe I said something about wings?” He snapped his fingers and stepped back. You felt a new weight on your back and turned your head to see a pair of light blue butterfly wings strapped over your now shimmering blue silk dress. The dress flowed down to the floor, sparkling in the candlelight. You looked down at the forgotten mask in your hand to find that it, too, had changed. Gone were the fish; it was now covered in blue lace and a pair of wings flared out from one side. You smiled up at Gabriel, a tear sliding down your cheek. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Gabriel.”

“I never want you to feel like you have to have to be better than you already are. Don’t ever think that you’re not enough.” He wiped the tear from your cheek and kissed you softly. “Now, put you’re mask back on. We’ve got a party to enjoy.”


End file.
